The next five films selected for funding as part of the Female Film Force 2019 have been announced.
Five aspiring filmmaking teams will now be fully funded to create their own short film as part of Bumble’s initiative offering grants to ambitious filmmakers across the UK, Ireland, France and Germany. These films will be created by teams of all female writers, directors and producers with an emphasis on achieving at least a 50/50 gender split within their extended production teams.
Filmmakers will be supported by mentors throughout the filmmaking process to ensure they have a strong network of industry figures to guide and empower them. This furthers Bumble’s efforts and commitment to make a real change to the gender imbalance found within the film industry.
Speaking about the selection, writer Karen Healy told IFTN:
"We are so thrilled; I don’t think it has sunk in yet! Bumble Female Film Force is an incredible scheme for female filmmakers and I am just so honoured to have even had my script considered. The funding is great but knowing that there will be support and mentorship along the way is extremely encouraging.
I’ve met the incredible producer, Sharon Cronin because of this and I feel like the film is in safe hands now. Claire Byrne was also my dream director so I just couldn’t be happier with our team so far. We are really looking forward to connecting with more female filmmakers in Ireland and going into production on Ascending Grace in the Autumn."
The final teams embody a group of diverse, driven creatives whose ideas are centred around strong female characters and narratives often under-represented on our screens.
From a French animation previously unable to secure funding due to its often considered taboo mental health storyline, to a moving but comic portrait of postnatal depression, and from one British writer making her first move as a director, to a German documentary duo ready to shine a light on feminist views in Berlin. This year’s recipients are as follows:
ASCENDING GRACE
Karen Healy (Writer); Sharon Cronin (Producer); Claire Byrne (Director)
A small plane with two female pilots is about to take off from Knock with a cabin full of religious holiday-makers - but things get tense when the flight is grounded...
MA’AM
Joy Wilkinson (Writer-Director); Jude Goldrei (Producer); Kate Reid BSC (Director Of Photography)
Struggling with post-natal depression after the birth of her ninth baby, Queen Victoria faces a photo-shoot to show off her ‘perfect family’ to the world – the last thing she needs!
SUNITA
Joan Iyiola (Co-Writer & Producer); Chibundu Onuzo (Co-Writer & Producer); Millie Marsh (Producer)
A story about a young black girl’s relationship with her hair, and how it helps her understand who she wants to be.
ET CHAQUE NUIT
Julie Robert (Director/Producer); Céline Le Thérisien (Writer/Line Producer); Maëva Poupard (Writer)
Since childhood, Lea has been seeing ghostly deer looming around her. If only she managed to take one photograph of them, maybe her girlfriend Maud would take her issues seriously.
VIVA LA FEMINISTA
Silke Meya (Director); Laura Mentgen (Director of Photography); Noumia Film
A documentary about six children from Berlin. The film will offer insights into different cultural, social, religious and political understandings of role models and modern feminism.
A shortlist of ten teams were invited to pitch at The AllBright Club in London in June where they met with a panel of industry experts in an inclusive and fun environment. After thoughtful deliberation and discussion, the final five were selected.
Bumble received over 1,300 creative pitches centred on Bumble’s core values; kindness, respect, and equality. Bumble, WDW Entertainment and a panel of industry experts have selected these five teams to empower, mentor and financially support through their process. The programme was created to encourage women to make the first move - to stand up and tell their stories.
Louise Troen, VP International Marketing & Communications, said:
“The Female Film Force is an empowering initiative set out to shine a light on the imbalance in the film industry and provide women across Europe with the opportunity to tell the stories they want to tell. The programme encourages women to have the confidence to believe in themselves and take the plunge into creating their own stories. We were incredibly fortunate to work with an inspiring panel of industry leaders who helped us select the final five recipients, all of which embody Bumble’s core values and beliefs. The funding will help launch these inspiring women into the industry and we can’t wait to see what they produce in January 2020.”
The films will be delivered and showcased at an event in January 2020.
